TESTS CONCLUDED IN QATAR, APRILIA READY FOR THE RACE

COMFORTING FEEDBACK FOR ESPARGARÓ AND REDDING

The final tests before the start of the 2018 MotoGP Championship, also in Qatar, have just come to a close. For Aprilia these were three important days which provided comforting responses on the level of the new 2018 RS-GP, especially in terms of race pace, as demonstrated by the long-run done by Aleix Espargaró and Scott Redding.

Both riders worked on refinements in view of the race, turning laps with used tyres to improve the performance of their RS-GP machines, a bike for which consistency over several laps is traditionally one of its strong points.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'

"I can’t wait to be back here in two weeks to really get to work. The tests are important but I’m happier when it’s a race. This year things will be even more interesting because all the teams and riders will be at a very high level. I gave it my best during this pre-season to improve the 2018 RS-GP. It was a pity that a small problem kept me from finishing the race simulation. The truth is that the winter tests are often deceiving. There are a lot of riders who manage to do some fast laps but values will change in the race. I believe in our potential and I am confident that we will be battling for the top 8 straight away".

SCOTT REDDING

"We made a nice step forward again today with a few changes that increased my confidence straight away. I did another long run today and I was fast. I felt good on the bike and with a used tyre I did the same time that I had done yesterday with a new tyre. The RS-GP continues to perform very well with the tyres and that is something that has always been a problem for me in the past, whereas even with the soft tyre and a lot of laps I am able to be incisive and that makes me confident for the race".